With Nashville's changing demographic, Kelsey Finger saw a need for a greater variety in children’s clothing than what was locally available. With that in mind, she opened Patch, a children’s boutique, in 2020.
“People are looking for family photo outfits, play clothes, and holiday outfits,” she says. “They are also looking for something that’s fun and different and want something trendier that not everyone else has. I’m blending modern and traditional styles and I hope to fulfill a need for everybody, no matter what their style is.”
As a mother of two boys, 5-year-old Nelson and 3-year-old Walt, Kelsey knows that kids’ clothes need to be high in quality as well as fashionable. The clothes and merchandise at Patch not only have these two qualities, but are also environmentally friendly.
“The majority of my big lines are sustainably made so they are not making them in high quantities, but instead making what they can sell,” she says. “They are conscious of how things are produced in terms of the environment and most are made with organic cotton, which a lot more lines are going towards these days.”
Many of the items available in the boutique, says Kelsey, are lines that Nashville hasn’t seen before. Many are European, as well as from the East and West coasts of the United States. “People know a lot of these lines but just haven’t been able to buy them locally anywhere. The sizing in kids clothes is very difficult because it ranges so wildly. Unless you know a specific line and what your child takes in that, it’s hard to order online. Plus, people like to touch it, see it, and feel it before they buy. Especially with kids’ clothes.”
It’s also Nashville’s culture, she says, to buy local. “Nashville loves Nashville and it supports local business more than a lot of other places. Especially in a post-COVID world, people are supporting their local businesses more than they did before and appreciating what it takes for people to be in business in this day and age.”
The store itself is well laid out, organized, and easily shopped. “When you walk in, everything is light and airy,” she says. “The shopping center we’re in feels very old world with a little brick courtyard. It has a very different vibe.”
Patch carries a wide assortment of baby items as well, such as footed pajamas, hats, and outfits. “We also carry a number of other gift items such as bibs, blankets, and swaddles,” says Kelsey.
With the arrival of a new season, fall florals are coming in along with other autumn-inspired merchandise. “There are lots of fun fall neutrals, but with colorful twists to them such as a plaid girl’s dress in an oatmeal color, but with the prettiest cornflower blue woven into the pattern that gives it a touch of color,” she says.
For boys, there are neutral-colored sweaters that can be paired with navy shorts for a classic look. Or combine a pair of rolled-up pants with a striped sweatshirt for a most adorable ensemble.
“Since the South stays hot until mid-October, a lot of traditional fall items are too heavy, so we have some fall-inspired items in lighter fabrics,” adds Kelsey.
In addition to clothing, Patch carries other merchandise for children. “Since people want to shop local instead of just running to a big box store to buy a toy, we have toys, books and puzzles,” she says. “We have girls’ accessories like purses, hair bands and bows. People love to gift these items for birthday and other special occasions.”